Hey Noni Nonya

Beef Rendang

This should have been one of my food challenges for 2006. I’ve tried for quite a while to master the delicacies of this luscious Malaysian or Indonesian dish, but it always turns out wrong. Not spicy enough, too spicy, not enough lemongrass – something always missing, too runny, too gluggy, too oily, not oily enough, no depth of flavour. Maybe my standards are unrealistically high. For years, every Xmas when I used to visit Wellington, NZ, I went to great restaurant called Istana Malaysia, just off the main drag that does the best Rendang outside KL. Mine never tastes that good. Or maybe I’m a gweilo trying to cook Nonya and I’m fated to never get it right. But this has at least changed a bit today. I’ve managed to lift my game and produce a palatable and pretty good tasting Rendang. I’d need an opinion from a taster with south east Asian heritage to pick up any problems and give me feedback, but my willing guinea pig Miss Liss reckons it was ok. She had 2 helping so I know it wasn’t just politeness.

Those of you out there who know better, please give me some tips if I’ve missed an ingredient or done it wrong. All feedback greatly appreciated.

For 1kg of cubed and trimmed chuck steak -

Spice paste to pound, or wiz in Mr Buzzy:
2 stalks of lemongrass, tender part sliced
3 small or 2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
5 chillies, chopped
3 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons ground cumin
6 candelnuts
5cm piece of fresh galangal, chopped

Buzz it all up, and in a medium-heated wok, with 2 tablespoons of peanut or vegetable oil, fry the paste with:

1 stalk of lemongrass, bruised
4 star anise
2 cardamom pods
2 cloves
½ stick of cinnamon

Add the beef and coat in the spice paste for a few minutes then add:

500 mls of coconut milk
2 tablespoons of tamarind concentrate (or 1/2 cup of tamarind water made from a big tablespoon of tamarind pulp)

Let this simmer for an hour uncovered until the meat is tender.

Add 2 tablespoons of kecap manis and a chiffonade of 3 kaffir lime leaves. Simmer until the liquid has all but evaporated and the Rendang is quite dry. For me this took about 5 hours to get really thick and unctuous.

The taste was great – the flavours all married together, the chilli was there but not too dominant, it was fragrant with galangal and lemongrass. Despite all that really slow cooking the meat was still just a little resistant. Perhaps I should vary the cut of meat? Whatever the case it was my best attempt to date so I’m a well pleased gweilo :)